#braces question

[bracesblog]

hello! I'm getting braces in 3 days and I have to get forsus springs and i have to get a tooth pulled but will they pull my tooth at the orthodontist? or will they pull it after I get braces? and for the forsus springs will they put them on when I get braces or later? also, do you have any tips for me? thank you so much!! xoxo

Hi! Thanks for your question! Exciting that you are getting your braces on soon! A step closer to having perfect teeth. It depends on the orthodontist, and if they can do it there. I had two teeth taken out after getting braces (they didn’t put the bracket on the teeth that were being removed)- and this happened at the orthodontist. But if your orthodontist doesn’t do this, then she’ll/he’ll refer you to their partner dentist practice who will be able to do it.  Some orthodontists extract teeth before getting braces to leave it to heal for a bit before getting braces- it’s dependent on the orthodontist. However I was glad I got my teeth taken out after having my braces put on as there weren’t noticeable gaps (which you’d be able to see much more without braces). I’m not sure about forsus springs as I’ve never had them. Although I've had friends who’ve had them, and it is again dependent on your orthodontist, I would think that he/she would wait a week or so, so your teeth can get used to the braces before putting in forsus springs. On the other hand he may go ahead straight away and put them in but will obviously wait till after your teeth have been removed. Eat before you go to get your braces on, because when you get them on your teeth will be very sensitive so you’ll only be able to eat very soft foods without your teeth hurting. Your teeth will be very sensitive for the first week, so take painkillers whenever the pack says its safe to, put ice against the brackets that hurt- this will relieve the pressure and pain, also apply orthodontist wax against any parts of the brace that are irritating your gum. And eat smoothies, soup, and soft foods whenever your teeth hurt. Because I had my braces for 7 years, during the painful times I felt as though nothing could be worse than this- but it is SO worth it in the end when you’ll have a beautifulll smile! Good luck with everything!!!!!! And please keep in touch and ask any braces questions. Hope this helps, Rosie xxx

[bracesblog]

Hi! I'm 16 and just getting braces in about a week :) but when they took molds and x-rays they said at the next appointment they'd put in spacers and brackets. And that at the one after they'd put in the bands and wire. Would it be weird to just have brackets? And what color bands would you not recommend? P.S. it's really cool of you to answer all these questions.

Hi, thanks for your question! How exciting! This is very normal, most orthodontists will place the brackets in first then affix the elastics and wire in your second appointment, so it wouldn’t be weird, because it happens to most people :-). If you don’t want to draw attention to your new braces, I’d recommend getting the silver bands, if you’re getting ceramic ones I’d recommend clear ones or white ones- this is what I did when I first got braces. If you’re not worried about people noticing your braces get brightly coloured ones and make the most out of having braces! You have the opportunity to change the colour of your bands every time you go to your orthodontist, just ask :-). Hope this helps and I’d be really happy to help with any other advice. Good luck getting your braces!! :D xxx

[bracesblog]

So i've had braces for about 4 1/2 years , they took them off too early , & I just got my retainer a couple of months ago. But its a pain to wear them to school. So is it possible I can just wear it at night alone? & will they fix my overbite too?

I had this exact problem. I got my first set of metal traintracks off too early as I was so sick of them. However I would stress to everyone getting braces never to be tempted to get them off before you and your orthodontist are completely happy with the result. I then had to get braces on for the 2nd time as i knew I wasn’t ready to get them off. Normal retainers won’t be able to fix your overbite- they simply ‘retain’ the alignment the braces have created. Retainers can however re-align teeth if they have moved but only in very minor cases. If your dentist has told you that you only need to wear the retainers part-time then wearing them only at night is fine. However if your dentist has explicitly told you to wear them full time then I’m afraid you will have to :-( , otherwise your teeth will start moving back to the alignment they were before you got your braces. I know how annoying it is to wear braces/retainers at school, you could ask your orthodontist to fix you with the permanent thin metal retainer, which is affixed to the back of your teeth, you won’t need to be constantly having to remember to putting it on and no-one at school will be able to see it. (I’ve attached a photograph). However if you want to correct your overbite and have braces again to align your teeth perfectly for the best smile, I’d recommend you get Lingual braces. I was in exactly the same position as you and I had an overbite and my teeth still weren’t properly aligned and I’d didn’t want to get braces again, even though I knew I needed them to have the smile I wanted. Someone recommend ’Lingual braces’ to me, and I’ve never looked back- they are ABSOLUTELY fantastic. My teeth have moved SO fast and haven’t hurt nearly as much as my normal braces did. They are basically fixed traintracks on the back of your teeth- no-one can see them! I HIGHLY recommend them, I have them now and none of my friends know I have braces, and I always forget I do! (I’ve attached a photo of them). You could also get Invisalign braces, which are see-through retainer-like braces which you wear constantly and they are see-through, so people can’t see them and can realign teeth, but I don’t think they can correct an overbite. I think the best solution for you would to get either a fixed retainer and keep your overbite (if you’re ok with that) or get Lingual braces, which no-one can see, can fix your over bite and give you the perfect smile! hope this helps!!! Please let me know what you decide! All the best :-) 

Fixed retainer at the back of your teeth

Lingual braces

Invisalign braces (they look similar to clear retainers)